Second Avenue
Pedestrian
Mall
The Second Avenue Pedestrian Mall at the University of North Dakota (UND) exemplifies RDG's commitment to creating places of meaning, connection and purpose. As a vital phase of UND's evolving campus core master plan, this project reclaims a high-traffic vehicular corridor and transforms it into a vibrant, walkable academic artery designed for circulation and inspiration.
This effort integrates landscape architecture, lighting design, public art and culturally respectful placemaking to elevate the campus experience for all users.
The design embraces the narrative power of place. Drawing inspiration from the Soaring Eagle Prairie — a cherished campus landmark that honors Indigenous heritage — the site is shaped by layered storytelling. A central memorial plaza anchors the space, embracing a large memorial tree surrounded by native plantings, handcrafted seat walls and custom tiles designed in collaboration with the Art Studio at RDG. Specialty tilework features regionally significant grasses and representations of the four key plants from the Medicine Wheel: tobacco, sweetgrass, sage and cedar, paying tribute to the diverse Native American tribes connected to the land. This integration of ecology, culture and materiality ensures a setting that is beautiful and meaningful.
The pedestrian mall extends a network of people-first spaces, linking the iconic Chester Fritz Library, the new Nistler College of Business, and UND's Memorial Union. The transformation of Centennial Drive from a road into a pedestrian plaza reinforces this east-west pedestrian corridor to align with the previously implemented design language across campus. Concrete pavers in warm, earthen tones echo the clay masonry of UND's historic Collegiate Gothic architecture. Enhanced lighting strategies, developed with campus safety in mind, provide a cohesive visual rhythm while supporting evening use and student well-being.
The design was a journey to a shared vision among collaborators. RDG coordinated closely with UND stakeholders, including a campus-based Indigenous steering committee, facilities staff and horticultural experts. These partnerships ensured that design decisions reflected not only master plan continuity but also community values, heritage and longevity.
The pedestrian mall embodies the UND mission to enrich lives through teaching, research and meaningful engagement. By reclaiming this corridor for people, the project encourages interaction, reflection and a sense of belonging. Through its physical form and underlying intent, it supports UND's core values — Learning, Equity, Affinity, Discovery and Service.
With LED lighting, native and adaptive plantings, and a complete upgrade to underground utilities, including campus-wide heating infrastructure, the project anticipates future growth while supporting long-term sustainability. Historic context was respected throughout, seamlessly blending new interventions with UND's architectural legacy. This project represents a key milestone in a larger, multi-year campus transformation to link past, present and future through thoughtful, place-based design.
As the final block extension nears construction, the Second Avenue Pedestrian Mall continues to evolve as a space that welcomes all, tells shared stories and honors those who came before.
Lighting Design
The Second Avenue Pedestrian Mall at the University of North Dakota is a vibrant walkable academic artery that reclaims a once high-traffic vehicular corridor. The new pedestrian landscape features a central memorial plaza with catenary lighting, handcrafted seat walls with concealed fascia lighting, and a large entry gateway with custom-integrated sconces.
The challenge of the installation was largely in finding budget friendly product that would be able to stand up to North Dakota’s harsh winter weather conditions. Weather related standards called for a minimum start up temperature of -40 degrees and wet rating to ensure no damage would occur with melting snow or rain.
LED tape lighting integrated in the concrete bench construction illuminate custom fabricated tilework which feature regionally significant imagery. The LED tape has a diffuse distribution and is concealed within a cast cove at the top of the bench face. Each led strip is powered from a series of remote driver mounted in a cavity in the base of the bench. Wiring and driver location/access had to be designed to ensure access and even continuous illumination within the bench.
Catenary lighting within a metal pergola at the central plaza add a level of indoor-outdoor living to the campus atmosphere. The luminaires have a wood look finish to further add to the warmth and hospitality. Suspended from minimal hardware, wiring and remote power units had to be coordinated within the pergola structure to keep required exposed conduit and junction boxes concealed as much as possible.
The expansive gateway structure marks the entry into this pedestrian connector and is enhanced at night by custom sconces which coordinate with other lighted campus elements and the artistic columns along University Avenue. These sconces had to be designed with complete access of all electrical components from the front face and were coordinated with the construction of the brick column supports on either side of the gateway. Additional linear tape was concealed at the bottom of the gateway sign to provide balance for the entry structure and illuminate the University of North Dakota signage for legibility at night. Complimentary smaller versions of the larger sconce are incorporated at the smaller columns flanking the primary gate. Small concealed in-grade lighting is incorporated to the paving in front of each primary gate column to provide balance to the lower column structure and emphasize the grand scale of the gate as a whole. All wiring and driver location/access had to be designed to ensure access without compromising design excellence.
Maintenance on campus was a top priority, luminaires from a single manufacturer that allowed for future flexibility in other applications across campus was critical to ensure a “future-proofed” design.